mitosis (English)
Where does "mitosis" come from?
The English noun 'mitosis' was borrowed from the German 'Mitose'[1][2]. The German term was coined in 1879 by Walther Flemming[2] by combining the Ancient Greek 'mítos', meaning 'thread', with the suffix '-ose'[1][2]. This formation likely refers to the thread-like appearance of chromatin observed during the cell division process[1]. The Greek root itself may ultimately derive from the Proto-Indo-European root '*mey-', meaning 'to bind'[3].
Open questions
- The derivation of the Ancient Greek word for thread from the Proto-Indo-European root meaning to bind is a proposal rather than a certainty. [3]
Full etymology tree
- mitosis (English), 'The division of a cell nucleus in which the genome is copied and separated into two identical halves. It is normally followed by cell division.'
- borrowed Mitose (German), 'mitosis (division of a cell nucleus)'
- derived μίτος (mítos) (Ancient Greek), 'thread of the warp'
- derived *mey- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to strengthen'
- affix -ose (German), '-osis'
- derived μίτος (mítos) (Ancient Greek), 'thread of the warp'
- borrowed Mitose (German), 'mitosis (division of a cell nucleus)'
Ancestors
- Mitose (German)
- μίτος (Ancient Greek)
- -osis (English)
Descendants and derived words
- amitosis (English)
- antimitosis (English)
- endomitosis (English)
- mitogen (English)
- mitotic (English)
- mitotically (English)
- polymitosis (English)
- pseudomitosis (English)
Sources
- mitosis (English) - Wiktionary
- Mitose (German) - Wiktionary
- μίτος (mítos) (Ancient Greek) - Wiktionary
Updated September 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris